


Viridian Soul, Act 1

by Machaeus



Series: Viridian Soul [1]
Category: Slightly Damned
Genre: F/M, Gen, New Magic, mild body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-22 05:10:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22310413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Machaeus/pseuds/Machaeus
Summary: Not long after the death of Sakido, Buwaro accidentally finds himself able to use the barely-studied phenomenon known as Vril, a magic of life force that can be manipulated into more complex magical constructs.  But even with the power of such a rare magic, Buwaro is going to have some trouble...especially after getting an Earth Demon's oversized axe in his shoulder.
Relationships: Buwaro Elexion/Kieri "Snowy" Suizahn
Series: Viridian Soul [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1605862





	1. Chapter 1

**Viridian Soul**

**Chapter 1**

Buwaro grunted awake as he heard the gentle _thud_ of something next to the bed. He noticed that his new pet rabbit was gone, and looked over the bed to see if it had fallen off.

The rabbit wasn't there. Instead, there was a Human girl, blue-and-white of hair with a similar outfit and wide blue eyes, staring at him in –

Wait...

"Snowy?" he asked, before cringing as he realized the girl was _terrified_ of him. Rhea had said that her village's Jakkai were afraid of Demons, but was _everyone_ afraid of him because of that? He was about to ask her about that when she ran from the room, slamming the door behind her. Buwaro's eyes dimmed, and he slowly got out of bed. "Rhea?" he asked, voice small from a gnawing feeling of sadness.

"What," she grumbled, still too sleepy to think about anything more than getting more rest.

"Snowy just ran away. She was terrified."

"Rabbits're scared'a anythin' bigger," she groaned, hoping that was all he wanted.

"...okay," he replied, hoping that she was right. He slowly stood up and walked to the door.

Then, as he grabbed the doorknob, he thought. She wasn't a bunny just a minute ago. Why was she a bunny earlier, then? Did bunnies become people sometimes?

No, that didn't make sense. More likely, she was a person who became a bunny – not that he knew how that worked either, but to be fair, he didn't know anything about this Medius place. He opened the door, seeing the girl curled up facing away from him and something in her hand.

He sat next to her, trying to make himself look smaller to not scare her. She jerked as he sat down, startled, and began to shiver as she stared at him. He didn't move, waiting for her to calm down and realize he wasn't going to hurt her. After a bit, her eyes slowly scanned him, looking from his ratty white shirt to his sharp claws, then to his face.

He decided to just make sure it was what he thought it was. "Um...Snowy?" he asked softly, his voice croaking. "Are...are you scared of me because I'm a Demon?" She nodded slowly, barely. He felt awful upon knowing that, but after a moment, he blinked and then smiled, as an idea came to him. Hope filled him at the possibility. "Then," he asked, hesitant but still looking at her with an almost begging quality, "can you show me how to _not_ be one? Like how you become a bunny?"

For several seconds, she stared at him blankly, as if she had no idea why he'd ask something like that. He slowly curled in on himself. "I guess not," he mumbled, staring at the floor in misery at his one new hope being dashed.

After a while, Snowy put her hand on his shoulder – he hadn't even seen her put the knife down. He looked up at her, curious as to why she was so quiet, when something occurred to him. "Um, can you talk? Or is it like how I can't read?" he asked nervously. She shook her head, then showed him the hoop around her neck and the ones on her wrists. He blinked at the strange object. Frowning, he gently took her hand, palm-up, and said, "Are these stopping you from talking, somehow? Are they magic?"

She nodded, but he didn't notice. He had seen a small white line under the cuffs on her wrists. He gently slid the cuff up to see the lines more clearly, and winced at the old scars. They covered her arms – scores of them. Even knowing little about the world, he knew what these pale lines meant. "Did someone hurt you?" he asked softly, looking into her eyes tearily. The girl shivered and looked away, seeming to be stunned. "Snowy?" he asked, barely whispering.

She suddenly buried her face in his chest, sobbing silently, her strong arms around his chest and back in a clinging hug, as if she might fall without his support. He wrapped his arms around her too, mumbling, "You're a strong bunny, aren't you?"

"Wha – who the hell are you?" Rhea grunted, startling both of them. With a sudden 'poing,' the girl became the same rabbit Buwaro found yesterday, the fur around her eyes now matted up from her tears. "What in the..." Rhea choked out. "Buwaro," she asked finally, "what the hell is going on?"

"I'm not sure, but Snowy was hurt on her arms," Buwaro said.

Rhea blinked at that, clearly guarded. "Uh, is it all healed?" she asked.

"Yeah, it looks old," he nodded.

"Well, don't worry about it," she smiled fakely, to Buwaro's growing concern. "If it's old, she's probably fine by now. Can I see her for a moment?"

"Sure," Buwaro said, handing her the "rabbit."

Rhea gently set her down and asked, "Okay, can you go back somehow?"

The girl hesitated and seemed to try to concentrate really hard, before finally returning to her normal form. "I think those weird loops keep her from talking," Buwaro said. The girl nodded again.

"Ah, great," Rhea grumbled. "Can you write, at least? Maybe we can talk that way." The girl nodded, and Rhea quickly grabbed some paper and a pencil. The girl began to write for them in shaky Lingo, and Rhea read as she worked.

When the message was finished, she stared at the girl, eyes widening. "You're not serious, right?" she asked softly.

"What?" Buwaro asked, now worried.

"Sh-she's an Angel," the Jakkai stammered, clearly worried about something.

"Oh," he said, looking at Snowy, the girl cringing slightly, as if she expected him to react in a bad way. "Um, what's an Angel?" he asked Rhea. The girl's jaw dropped.

"Oy," Rhea groaned. "Basically, Demons and Angels fought a long time ago, during the Great War," Rhea said nervously. "And it's said they still have...issues." The girl wrote more, and Rhea blinked. "...you're not 300 years old," she gaped. The Angel shook her head, drawing two new characters. "So wait, the war only – " She nodded sadly. "...great," Rhea sighed, her ears drooping. "Um, sorry, we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Rhea Snaketail, and the purple airhead there is Buwaro."

Buwaro gave Rhea a half-hearted glare. "What, because I can't read?" he muttered.

"More because you didn't even know what an Angel is," Rhea replied. "I think you played catch with Thadius far too long."

The girl put her paper between them. Rhea quickly read it. "Kai...ker...could you draw pictures to sound it out or something?"

The girl nodded, drawing a few images. "Key-air-ee Sue-...snooze, relax...oh, ease! Ease, ah-n. Kieri Suizahn?" she tried.

The cuffs and choker clattered to the floor, surprising them all. Kieri blinked. She hesitantly murmured something in words Buwaro didn't understand, and seemed more surprised. "Weirdest magic cuffs ever," Rhea grumbled. "So your name undid them?"

"I...I suppose?" Kieri hazarded, staring at the cuffs and picking them up.

"So why were you hurt?" Buwaro asked. "You said that War thing was still happening?" It then hit him, and he cringed a bit. "Was it...other Demons?" he asked.

"Y-yes," Kieri murmured, clearly on guard again.

"I see," he said, mood darkening in frustration. "So...what? Because of some stupid...I don't even know what a war is," he grumbled. "Is it some kind of fight?"

"Basically, everyone's fighting, yeah," Rhea said grimly.

Buwaro's thoughts immediately returned to yesterday. "...is that why Sakido died?" he murmured, shivering from the thought. "This war?"

"I – " Rhea started, then thought. "I don't know, but that arrow came from the Demons we were trying to break through."

Kieri blinked. "Arrow...?" she asked. "Could you describe the wound?" she asked quickly.

"Uh," Rhea said, but thought back to yesterday. "It – looked all black and, I dunno, decayed, I guess?" she hazarded. "Like, it had only been on her for a while, but this whole circle around the arrow looked like it was all – "

Rhea had stopped, because Kieri's face had gone into a rictus of fury. She murmured something in those strange words, and both backed away slowly. "Snowy?" Buwaro asked, and the girl looked up at him, clearly surprised that he was now scared of _her_.

Shame instantly filled her features, which only confused Buwaro all the more. Calming herself, she explained, "I...I believe that was a Holy Arrow. But if so, that means that an Angel shot it. But if so, that Angel was in a crowd of Demons. That makes no sense!"

"So wait, they're fighting each other, _with_ each other?" Buwaro asked, confused – before realizing that his confusion was appropriate. "Okay yeah, I see how that doesn't make sense," he frowned. "S-sorry, I...I don't know like anything up here," he mumbled. "I feel like confusion is normal right now."

Rhea sighed. "Well, I need to grab some supplies. Maybe I can get something without anyone finding me."

"Why would you need to – oh, right," Buwaro realized, remembering the conversation from yesterday. "You're s'posed to be dead, right?" Kieri blinked at that, apparently surprised.

"Yeah...anyway, I'll be back soon."

"W-wait," Kieri said. "What do you need?"

"Food and a first-aid kit," Rhea replied as she walked downstairs to the door. "I've got some spare coin under the bed in a little floor-safe, so we don't need to worry about money, at least. Yet." The door closed before they could reply.

Waiting for Rhea, Buwaro gently took Kieri's hand and led her downstairs to the couch, where they could wait. She sat by him, watching him on occasion, before noticing his Star Pendant. She gaped for a moment at it. "What?" he asked, catching her attention.

"Wh-where did you get that?" she asked quietly, gently poking the Pendant.

Buwaro froze instantly, fear running his blood cold. He swallowed hard, trying to get his mouth to not be dry. "Um, I don't remember," he finally said. "It's always been there. Or...it's supposed to be there," he murmured.

Kieri blinked. "What do you mean?"

Buwaro hesitated, worried when he realized that she'd heard that. No backing out now. "I don't wanna scare you again," he said lamely. "But...if I don't have it on...um, you know that Berserk-thing?" he asked. "It...stops that."

Kieri stared at him, eyes slowly widening. "It...your..." She shuddered. "Your life is hanging by that thin of a thread?" she breathed, clearly terrified. He nodded, worried that she would hate him more. After a moment, to his surprise, she hugged him, trying to comfort them both. He hugged her back, unable to deal with the torrent of emotions from the day thus far.

Finally, they parted, and Buwaro felt awkward. After a while, he pulled out Sakido's Pendant, and Kieri blinked. "Where did you get that one?" she asked.

"It was Sakido's," he said. "She was my sister, 'n said I should have it, at least from what Rhea said." He put it on –

And a sickening crack sounded, and terrible pain erupted, from Buwaro's back, and he screamed about three octaves higher than his voice normally was. As he fell to his hands and knees, the world swam with darkness – and when he came to, she was rubbing a towel on his back...but it felt weird, somehow. "Ow," he whimpered when he found his voice again. "What...was that?"

"It was an Angelic Pendant," Kieri replied. "The same for your Star Pendant. What confuses me is that normally, these Pendants are enchanted to repel Demons...but..." She sighed. "Anyway," she said, "are you okay now?"

"I think so," Buwaro said, glancing back – only to finally see the two new wings. "...wait, were those from the Pendant?" he asked.

"Yes, they were," Kieri nodded.

"What the hell?" Rhea asked, having finally come back. "Where'd those wings come from?"

Catching up with the mess that was Sakido's pendant was interesting. Kieri explained that normally such pendants were Angel-only items and designed to repel the touch of Demons. Rhea wondered how Buwaro's worked, but they finally decided to just eat and get some sleep.

After patching up Kieri, the young Angel nervously informed the two that she had the ability to heal others with her Light magic. It wasn't meant for healing herself, but if one of them got hurt, she could keep them alive. Rhea was clearly thankful for that knowledge.

Afterwards, they had a light dinner. Kieri taught Buwaro how to crack nuts, so that he didn't choke trying to chew the hard shells. She slept on the couch that night, so that Rhea wasn't as crowded, and Buwaro decided to at least sleep below his new friend, propped against the couch, so that she didn't roll off.

Something about this Great War mess had clarified something for Buwaro, though. Clearly the War was causing trouble for everyone if it had Demons and Angels fighting, and everyone was afraid of him because of the war-thing. Maybe he could find a way to stop it, and heal the damage done. He had a goal, at least.

The only question was, how?

@=@=@

The next morning arrived, and Buwaro realized that Kieri had made her way off the couch and curled up into his back, hugging him. He smiled at the thought and let her lie there.

"Eep!" she gasped, then sighed. "Oh...r-right. Good morning, Buwaro."

"Morning," he murmured.

After a few minutes, Rhea came down and got their food ready. As she worked in the kitchen, though, they started hearing loud voices outside. Then, a great _crash,_ and a scream, and more shouting. Buwaro was at the window when he heard the Water Demon shouting to the Jakkai, scattered and terrified. "We know she's here!" she shouted as her Earth Demon ally pried his giant ax from a house wall. "If she's not out here in ten minutes, we'll start killing you little fuckers until she shows up!"

That made Buwaro bristle, but he came to a very quick conclusion – the same one Rhea came to a moment later. "We can't take 'em, can we?" Rhea muttered.

"That cloth bundle." Kieri pointed at the Earth Demon. "It looks like it has my sword, and maybe my Sun Pendant too."

"Think you can fight them with some backup?" Rhea asked.

"Perhaps," the Angel replied. "We will still need a plan."

"I'll help where I can," Buwaro added. "I'm not sure if I can do much, but..."  
"Alright," Rhea frowned. "In the meantime, I...I think I've got a plan, but we'll need to bait them."

"I accept this role," Kieri murmured, "but please be quick."

"...kay," Rhea nodded.

Five minutes passed as they slipped out the back of Rhea's house and around the fight. The ambush was ready, and Buwaro climbed atop a house and laid flat. The two Demons didn't notice the ambush preparing, thankfully, and Kieri "stumbled" into the clearing, before yelping and running away, towards the ambush point. "I'll get her," the Water Demon said. "Talus, guard those little rat-shits."

"Got it, Lazuli," he grinned.

Lazuli charged after Kieri, and Rhea began the ambush, hitting the Water Demon with a Terra Spikes spell and sending her stumbling. A bolt of Light came at Lazuli next, and she screamed in pain. "Lazuli!" Talus shouted, storming after her to help. The Jakkai fled inside, Buwaro waiting for the right moment to grab the cloth bundle and run with it. Seeing a moment, he hopped off, only to fall short and slam into the ground roughly. Talus, thankfully, didn't pay attention, slicing his axe at Kieri.

Although her sword parried the attack, she fell from the force of it, stumbling as Lazuli lunged at her, preparing to rip her apart. "No," Buwaro gasped, hand stretching out.

And a burst of strange, dark green _lightning_ struck outward, striking Lazuli in the chest and sending her rolling backward. Talus, startled, glanced at Buwaro, only to get a Terra Spikes in his path. He growled and stepped over it, raising his axe to attack Buwaro. He tried to roll out of the way.

Pain filled the boy's eyes, blinding him, and he passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Viridian Soul**

**Chapter 2**

Buwaro gasped and jerked upright. "Easy, easy," Rhea murmured, pushing him back down.

It took Buwaro a moment to realize that he was somewhere soft, warm. He looked around to see a bedroom, probably in the Jakkai village. Nearby was Kieri, who looked utterly beside herself with worry and misery. His right shoulder hurt like crazy, but not his arm, for some reason. "What happened?" he asked.

"Kieri took care of those two Demons," Rhea explained. "After you hit Lazuli, she easily took her down, but then she saw Talus had..." The Jakkai winced. "He...he'd lopped your arm off." Buwaro blinked a few times, then hesitantly looked down.

His right arm was missing. "Rh...Rhea?" he asked, feeling sick.

"I don't know how to reattach stuff like that," she mumbled. "And the only one who might is gone...he left a while back."

"...oh," he mumbled. He turned his head back to the ceiling, stunned.

"...that was pretty brave of you," Rhea noted quietly.

Buwaro didn't reply. He was still unsure what to think. "I..." he finally managed. "I'm never getting it back, am I?" he asked quietly.

"...no, you're not," Rhea admitted.

"...is everyone else...okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," she replied.

"Good," he mumbled, slowly falling asleep again.

"Buwaro?" Rhea asked, panicked.

"S'okay," he murmured. "Just tired."

@=@=@

Buwaro groaned as he awoke the next morning. He was still sore, but at least he felt a little stronger than yesterday. After a bit, he eased himself up with –

 _'Oh yeah,'_ he realized, _'one arm.'_ He slowly pushed himself up on his left arm, his mind somewhat numb.

A knock sounded on his door. "Buwaro?" Kieri asked quietly. "Are...are you awake?"

"Yeah," he replied.

She came into the room hesitantly, looking at the bandaged injury he took. "I...I am glad you are okay."

"Me too," he smiled, sadly. "Man...that sure hurt though."

"I can only imagine," she murmured, shivering. "My father...he lost his own arm in the Great War. In fact, it was his right one, like you," she noted with a grim chuckle. "Though, he lost his to a Fire Demon, if I recall."

"Oof," Buwaro chuckled. "When I meet him, can you let him know I lost it trying to help you?"

"I-I will," she murmured, blushing a little. "Th...thank you."

A moment later, Rhea slipped in. "You okay, kiddo?" she asked quietly. "And uh...you remember that green lightning stuff? Where'd that come from?"

"Dunno," Buwaro replied. "But yeah, I'm fine." He slowly swung his legs out, using his one arm as best he could. He paused, then, and frowned, focusing. "That feeling...it came from me, but..."

"What'cha mean?" Rhea asked.

Then, he slowly peeled off the bandages. "Hey, hey!" she yelped, hurrying over – and gasped. Buwaro looked and smiled.

The injury was healing with the same dark green glow. It would take time to regain his full strength, but he was healing. "What the _fuck,_ " Rhea choked out. "How?!" she half-way bellowed.

"I dunno," Buwaro admitted, "but it's working, isn't it?"

"Vril."

Both Buwaro and Rhea stared at Kieri. "What's that?" the Jakkai asked.

"Vril is – " Kieri began, before shaking her head. "Vril is the life force, the energy of a soul. It is said to be capable of terrible blasts, incredible healing, and impossible magics. But perhaps its greatest powers are only available to masters of its power..."

"Well, it sure helped," Buwaro groaned, standing up shakily. He stumbled a bit and caught himself. "Wow, my balance is all off..."

"That is not surprising," Kieri nodded. "My father said he nearly had to learn to walk again when he lost his own arm."

"Oof," Rhea winced. "Well...maybe we can take it slow."

"Maybe," Buwaro agreed. The boy stepped carefully, almost woozily, out of the room and saw a nice home. "Ooh," he smiled.

"Are you awake, dear?" a Jakkai asked – an older one with her winter coat. "I'm glad you're okay after the help you gave your friends."

"I'm surprised," Rhea muttered, to Buwaro's confusion.

After a moment, it clicked. "Are you miss Stonepaw?" he asked the older Jakkai. "Rhea did talk about you."

"Oh?" she asked, trying to be nonchalant, though Buwaro could see through her facade.

"Yeah," he said, "but you're being nice, so I'll assume she needs salt."

"...salt?" Stonepaw asked, confused.

"You know, that she needs to take salt?" Buwaro asked.

"I think he means to 'take what I said with a grain of salt,'" Rhea sighed. "Yeah, well I've never been liked or treated like a goddamn person by most of the people here, so forgive me for being skeptic of your skepticism."

"Rhea," Stonepaw said quietly, "how many times do I have to say it? You're not _hated,_ you're just _volatile._ We were all hoping you'd grow out of it."

"Wha...do you take me for an idiot?" Rhea snarled.

"No," Stonepaw scowled back, "but apparently I should have, since it never sank in." Rhea jerked as if she'd been slapped. "Your constant anger was the problem. You didn't even try to control your reactions. The kids who teased you were trying to get you to come out of your shell, proverbially speaking."

Rhea was silent for a time. "I don't know why they didn't just _talk_ to me," she muttered, "if that's the case."

"Because they saw you were thin-skinned and you needed to toughen up your mind," the older Jakkai replied. "As for what I was doing, I was trying to get you to see it from others' points of view. Attacking someone for their words is wrong, no matter how much their words provoke, because words are not going to break your bones."

"Fuck's sake," Rhea groaned, sitting down on the couch. She looked surprisingly small and helpless, so Buwaro sat by her...before realizing he couldn't hug her with his non-existent right arm, and so got up, sat on her other side, and hugged her there. "...thanks," she chuckled softly. "I'm sorry, Stonepaw. I...I honestly thought...that you'd be glad I was gone. All'a you."

"We were furious." Rhea jerked. "I...I'd thought Ramirez had done it...we banished him in our horror and fury."

"Not in a million years," Rhea snapped. She then winced. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I'll have to tell him his name's been cleared – send a letter."

"Mm." Rhea sighed. "...thanks for tellin' me at least."

"Mhm. Now come on, breakfast is almost on."

Once food was on the table, the elder nodded and left to do "some things around the village" before seeing them off. The trio ate fairly quickly, then packed up to leave, Rhea clearly intending to leave without saying goodbye. Buwaro was confused by this, before gently grabbing her shoulder. "Rhea," he said, "aren't you gonna say goodbye?"

"I don't wanna cause any more trouble," she muttered. "I fucked up enough."

"But," Buwaro began, and she pulled from his grasp and opened the door.

Only to see that everyone in the village had come by to see them off. Elder Stonepaw then handed Rhea a spare coin purse, which was loaded with coins – mostly silver, but several coppers for smaller purchases, and even a couple gold. "We scrounged together a reward," Stonepaw said, "and a 'well-wishing' to see you off."

Rhea's ears drooped in shock, a sense of gratitude and dismayed guilt flooding her features. "I – I can't take this," she choked, "not after – not after all that I – "

Buwaro knelt by her and hugged her again. "It's okay, Rhea. They clearly forgive you."

Stonepaw joined in on the hug, and Rhea began to _bawl._ The young Jakkai was utterly overwhelmed by the shock of seeing that so many people were grateful for her help, and were so willing to help her in turn.

Several minutes passed before the trio finally accepted the gift and got on the road. Rhea waved goodbye to her village, before sighing. "So, Kieri," she asked, clearly trying to take her mind off of what she'd just heard, "got a couple questions while we're on the move. One, how'd you get here? Two, got any friends with you? And three, what happened with the rabbit-thing?" As they left for Farun, Kieri explained her situation as Rhea had asked. Buwaro, feeling dumber by the moment, had finally asked who Toski was, and was told the basics of the Guardians as they walked. From there, Kieri explained the Gods and their roles in Medius and the Great War, along with the four Guardians that took the most prominent role.

The young man was slightly disturbed by the war thing. "Is...is it possible it's back on?" he asked quietly. "I mean...those cuffs. If a war is trying to kill people, why capture you alive?"

Kieri paused at that, and the trio glanced at each other. "Shit," Rhea muttered, "that's a good point."

"That is troubling," Kieri nodded. "If so...then we should be very careful in the coming days."

Buwaro nodded, silently agreeing. "Which means I need to figure out this Vril stuff," he noted thoughtfully. He focused his mind on the green lightning blast from the previous day and, with his left hand, aimed at a small branch in the air.

 _Krzakt_ went the bolt of energy, sizzling just into the branch and glancing off of it. "Aww," he frowned, trying again. This time, the bolt actually hit, though it did minimal harm to the wood and only blasted off the bark. He focused again, but the power seemed to have run out. "Hm," he mumbled, "looks like it's done for now. Must've been that healing earlier."

"Probably," Rhea agreed. "Come on, we can practice more tomorrow."

"Okay," he replied.

The trio finally came to Farun about half an hour after noon, and Rhea sighed in relief as the little village came into view. "Okay, so Buwaro, you might wanna stay up here until I get back."

"Why?" he frowned. "Will people be scared of me because of what I am, still?"

"Yeah, to be fair," she replied.

"...this sucks," he pouted, leaning against a tree and curling his arm to his side.

"Yeah, it does," Rhea agreed, "but Kieri said her family's warriors, right? What if her brother sees you?"

Buwaro nodded quietly. "...alright," he sighed. Rhea nodded, and the two girls made their way down the hill out of the forest.

Buwaro sat down and watched the scenery, quietly focusing on his power. He could feel small smatterings left, but not enough for a blast like that again...weird. He gestured out with his hand, trying to see what he could do with it –

And scooped up a huge pack of snow. He blinked, surprised, and shrugged, tossing it into the woods with a _spat._ "Hey, who threw that?" came the shout, and Buwaro knew he'd screwed up.

The voice came into view – a young Human boy – and he screamed. Eyes turned to see Buwaro, and he tried to scramble away from the boy, who was still screaming and backing away. "Easy, easy," Buwaro managed, before slipping on the ice and falling on his face.

Several moments passed as his ears finally stopped ringing from pain, only to look up to see several gathered faces. As he moved, the Medians backed away fearfully – only for a screaming voice from the sky to sound. Buwaro looked up to see a male Kieri, with his hair dye seemingly inverted from hers. _'Oh,'_ the boy thought, numb at the sight of the Angel coming at him, an axe hefted in his hands. _'I'm so dead.'_

The axe gave a sharp _clang_ as Buwaro flinched...then looked up to see Kieri having blocked the attack. The two spoke for some time, Buwaro confused by their words. Finally, he quietly said, "Uh, Snowy?" She held up a finger for him to wait, and he nodded, the two still arguing. Finally, after a few seconds, the other Angel calmed down a bit, but stated something with a frosty tone as he walked away. Kieri winced and helped Buwaro up, the two limping after her brother and another Angel, this one red and male.

Buwaro could already tell he was in it _deep_ this time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Viridian Soul**

**Chapter 3**

"Well, that could have gone worse," Rhea sighed quietly as the three Angels spoke in their own language. "How did you even alert the kid?"

"I kinda threw a snowball with magic," Buwaro explained.

"...you what," Rhea deadpanned.

The Angels paused at that. "Right," Kieri said quietly, before talking to her allies again. The two boys jerked when she said "Vril" and looked a bit fearful now. She shook her head and said some more.

"I'm starting to think Vril use is a scary thing too," Buwaro noted quietly.

"A little bit," Rhea shrugged, "since it's not really elemental."

"Hm," the boy mumbled.

Eventually, though, the three Angels seemed to agree on something. Kieri finally spoke to them. "It seems that Kazai wants some kind of proof of your...good nature," she explained quietly. "He's asking you to...to wear a collar."

Buwaro's head tilted. "Like yours, or?" he asked.

"N-no," she replied, "like, like a...a pet dog," she mumbled, blushing.

Rhea bristled, and was about to react when Buwaro put his hand gently on her shoulder, and she calmed. "Tell your brother that he can get his pet-play fetish in elsewhere."

Kieri turned bright red. "I...do not think he would appreciate that."

"Okay." The two girls looked at Buwaro in surprise. "I'm willing to earn their trust, so I'll deal with it."

"They'll want a leash too, won't they?" Rhea groaned.

"Yes," Kieri mumbled.

"And a leash is...?" Buwaro asked.

"Er...it attaches to the collar, to...prevent you from going too far," she mumbled.

"...they're really that serious," he sighed, but nodded. She swallowed and spoke to the two Angel boys, who glanced at each other in surprise. The Fire Angel shook his head at Kazai and spoke again, startling the brother, who tried to argue against them both for a time before huffing and turning away. "Snowy?"

After a bit, Kieri sighed. "It seems Kazai is still mistrustful, but Zahariah thinks that if you are willing to submit to the idea, then perhaps it is not necessary."

"I mean duh," Rhea shrugged, "but then, they wouldn't know that."

"True," Kieri nodded. "I will have to teach you both Angelic, eventually," she smiled, "if only so we are not talking over your heads."

"That'd be nice," Buwaro agreed, tail wagging.

@=@=@

Sleeping arrangements were a little tight that night, but Buwaro awoke fairly refreshed. He made a quick stop in the "bathroom" before Rhea got up, only to find it locked. He knocked gently, and a moment later Kazai came out, frowning but moving aside for Buwaro. He nodded and smiled, trying to at least be pleasant. Despite clearly being suspicious still, Kazai's hard expression seemed to soften a bit as Buwaro slipped in to do his business.

He was still a little disturbed by the fact that the stuff that came _out_ was the same stuff that he'd _eaten,_ but apparently there was a whole cycle and stuff.

Soon enough, breakfast was brought up, and Kieri explained the plan. "Kazai and Zahariah saw another Fire Demon going east, towards...this way," she stated, pointing at the map. "I would like to follow them – they are concerned about the War."

"Maybe they should stop fighting it, then," Rhea snarked, before nodding. "Alright. And how do you propose we get around?"

"Well," Kieri said, "Kazai wasn't too worried about that, but Zahariah did point out that we had someone to 'keep an eye on,' so they're brainstorming ideas. I think if we had to, we could just walk."

"Probably," Rhea nodded. "It's a pain in the ass to walk that far...but I did want to see the Spring Flower Festival anyway. We'll see what we can do about gear."

"Alright," Kieri agreed. She spoke to the boys, who quickly seemed to agree with the idea.

A few hours were spent buying gear, including finding the sheath for Kieri's sword at a shop where Rhea's friend worked. Buwaro looked around the shop himself, before noticing the wooden people – the "mannequins" as Rhea called them. "Um," he asked the blond Human at the counter, "can you...make limbs?"

"What, you mean like a prosthetic?" Jake asked. "I mean, we can make the basics, but for a real, working limb, and the surgery to attach it, you'd be best off going to the capital or maybe St. Curtis."

"Alright," Buwaro nodded, "thanks. I'm just...I'm new to all this stuff."

"...huh," the young Human frowned, while Buwaro daydreamed a little about getting his arm back. It'd probably not be the real thing, but...it'd be nice. He shook his head and followed the procession, the group walking along with backpacks. Buwaro wished he could help, but he had already realized that he didn't have a way to hold one of the straps.

Having only one arm was going to be a problem.

Early evening, the group made it to a small hovel, wherein lay a statue of Mother Gaia. The Angel trio spent time in prayer, while Buwaro helped Rhea start the fire with his fire breath and the two got food ready to eat. After a while, they broke off to join the camp, and after a short meal, Kazai began setting up a "watch" in case someone came up on them in the night – at least, that was how Kieri described it.

Buwaro would have offered, but he didn't think they'd trust him yet.

As they bedded down, though, Kieri gave a great sneeze, and the two Angels noticed the bunny that was once Kazai's sister. Buwaro winced as she spoke to her allies, and they seemed to understand. Kazai hugged his sister quite kindly, apparently just glad she was okay.

That was good, at least.

@=@=@

Buwaro jumped slightly as he felt someone shake his shoulder; it was still dark. He glanced up, eyes glowing in confusion, at Zahariah, who jumped. "My sorry," he said quietly. "I thought Kazai."

"Uh?" Buwaro asked. "Kazai, right," he grumbled, sitting up and pointing the other Angel boy out to Zahariah. He then tried to go back to sleep. He overheard the boys mumbling together, and snuggled into Kieri after a bit, falling asleep in short order.

@=@=@

The next morning came; the young Fire Demon woke up a little later than usual. "You sleep okay?" Rhea asked him.

"Yeah," he groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eye – then blinking, looking at the stump on his right side, and rubbing his other eye with the remaining hand. "Ugh. Zaha woke me up last night some time, instead of Kazai."

"Oh. Yeah, that'd do it. Hungry?"

"Sure," he smiled.

Breakfast was warmed thanks to Buwaro's fire breath, much like last time. He watched as Rhea got the wood built and cooked the food, trying to figure out what she was doing, how, and why. He asked a few questions, and she explained as he asked. He realized after a bit that she'd become quite patient with him lately.

He wondered vaguely if Sakido's death had anything to do with it, and began to feel down again.

Finally, after breakfast, the crew was on the road again. Buwaro eventually nudged Rhea's shoulder and quietly told her, "There's some guys off in the brush."

"Probably bandits," she replied. "Keep an eye out in case they try to take us from behind."

"Mkay," he replied. "What's a bandit though?"

"They take people's money and stuff on the roads," she explained. "Basically thieves who take to the wilds."

"Hm...where there's less chance to call for help," he realized slowly.

"Yup."

Eventually, the two men slipped out of the woods behind the crew and slowly made their way closer. Buwaro finally turned and scowled at them, and they gave a roar and charged him first. Kazai and Zahariah, surprisingly, were surprised by the attack, and had to take a moment to get ready to fight. Buwaro, seeing this, took a moment to aim and sent a blast of Vril into one's face, sending him sprawling back with small scorch marks. The other, wielding an axe, came at the boy, only for Kieri to parry the attack and intercept. Her sword flashed across his chest and sent him rolling into the snow, bleeding heavily. He rolled onto his back and gasped, clearly in bad shape as the other stormed at them, a shorter sword in his hands. Rhea's Terra Spikes impacted fiercely with his groin, sending him to the ground in a squeak of pain.

Buwaro sighed in relief, then walked beside the axe-user and squatted. "Any more?" he asked, glaring at the man.

"Y-yeah," he gasped, "there's about seven more in camp. Not snitchin' to you," he replied.

"Alright," Buwaro shrugged. "Maybe your buddy will cooperate."

"Not a chance in Hell, freak!" the sword-user sneered.

"I'll heal you both if you tell us," Buwaro stated, "or, I can strip you both of your weapons, gear, and stolen goods, and then take the shirts off your backs."

The two men glanced at each other. "In this cold, that's a death sentence," Rhea noted, a look of surprise and even concern on her face.

"I'm aware," Buwaro nodded to her, before looking at the two men. "I'm sure they'll warm up _plenty_ when they get to _my_ home, though."

That did it – the axe-wielder muttered, "I'll show you where they are. Just...don't let us die out here."

"Mhm," Buwaro grunted, laying a hand gently on each and healing their injuries with his strange power. Once that was done, the men brought out two halves of a map, which the crew was able to put together in short order. "Now get," Buwaro snapped, and the two men fled along the road. "Let's hope they clean up their acts," he muttered. "In the meantime, think we can scout for the place? Snowy, can you ask your brother and friend to look for this place?"

"I'm sure we can get two to look, yes," she nodded, and spoke to the two boys, who talked for a bit. They then nodded, and Kieri and Kazai flew off. Zahariah remained behind, and gestured back to the ruined shack for shelter, so they went there.

Almost n hour passed before the two Angels returned. "The camp is about an hour's worth of marching to the north of here," Kieri explained. "We might be able to take them down with an ambush, if that is the plan."

"I'd rather no one else has to deal with this," Buwaro nodded, "so yeah, if you think we can."

"I agree," she nodded. "That said, we'll need to be careful. There are three huts in the area, and a large tent near the fire pit. I think it is reasonable to suggest they have captives."

"Great," Rhea sighed, "so it's a rescue mission too."

"We'll have to try," Buwaro shrugged. "For now, what's the layout?"

Kieri nodded and drew up the layout in the dirt, and Kazai helped somewhat too. The five hemmed and hawed and planned, coming up with tactics for the attack. The bandit camp was in a clearing, so the Angels could drop in first, while Buwaro and Rhea picked off any stragglers or archers along the sides of the camp. Worst case scenario, Buwaro could light a fire on one of the huts and they could use that to escape.

As the plan concluded, they prepared to move out, storing their things in an alcove behind the statue of Mother Gaia, and Buwaro grabbed a heavy stick of wood for protection as they marched towards the camp. As they came close, Kieri took him a little behind the group and took a breath. "You...that threat before," she began, before clamming up.

"Huh?" he asked.

"About the bandits...warming up," she murmured.

"...oh," he mumbled, wincing. "Yeah...sorry."

"I understand...I was just...surprised," she said quietly. "It was rather...fierce, for someone who had barely fought before. I was actually impressed."

"Heh," he smiled, face flushing a little. He leaned his right side into her, and she started, before relaxing into the gesture and hugging him with one arm. His one hand came down to grasp hers, and he felt surprisingly at peace.

"We're almost there," Rhea said quietly. "Get ready, lovebirds."

"Yes ma'am," Buwaro nodded, and the two gently untangled their hands and prepared for their duties. The three Angels flew up out of general sight range, and Rhea and Buwaro slipped into the edge of the camp, watching carefully. They split up after a while, and waited.

The Angels dropped, and three bandits were caught quite off-guard. The alarm was up in a moment – two bandits injured, but one downed, and the rest began to prepare their weapons for battle. Buwaro spotted the one that looked the most injured and spent a moment aiming – a blast of Vril tore out as he prepared to strike at Zahariah, sending the Human to the ground in a crackle of viridian energy. The bandits jerked again, and Kieri had time to attack the one Kazai had struck, sending him to the ground too. Kazai struck at a fourth bandit as he approached, the heavy blade whiffing past his foe's nose, only for a Terra Spikes spell to strike him in the back of the knee and thigh and send him stumbling forward.

It was already chaotic enough, when an archer shot an arrow from a sidelong, board-mounted bow at Rhea. The Jakkai girl screamed as she took a brutal hit to the shoulder.

Buwaro saw red for a moment, slipping around through the woods to get a better shot, before realizing that Rhea probably needed healing more than anything. The boy hurried to her, and someone noticed his running form in the woods and shot at him too. The shot hurt, slicing past his remaining elbow, but he kept running, and soon he heard yelps as two more bandits fell. He glanced to see the archer that had shot Rhea was all that remained, and he had thrown down his mounted bow and pulled out a pair of short swords. He was in a defensive stance as Kazai struck, the man parrying Kazai's attack and swiping back with a wide missing shot. By then, Buwaro was at Rhea's side, and she'd pulled out the short arrow. Looking up, she just said, "Worry about those three."

"Alright," he nodded, and sent a blast of Vril into the one bandit's back, startling him and eliciting a shout of pain. Kieri was on him, her blade clashing into the man's, and he swiped with his other sword at her, cutting her arm and ducking around her side. Zahariah then struck the man's side, getting a slice along his foe's side and a pommel to his face for the trouble. Buwaro hustled in and flanked the man with Zahariah, much to the bandit's shock, and swiped his claws wildly, missing and sending the man into a stumbling counter. Kazai's swing grazed his thigh, and Kieri's blade fell, cutting deep into his forehead and glancing into his temple, nearly scalping him in part and sending him to the ground.

It was over. Buwaro sighed in relief, leaning against a hut. "Good job," he smiled, huffing.

"Thank you," Zahariah smiled. "You good too."

"Th-thanks," the Fire Demon beamed. He did feel pretty good about their success in that fight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Viridian Soul**

**Chapter 4**

The camp was empty of anything other than the bandits, surprisingly. Rhea reasoned that the tent was specifically for future "guests" rather than for current ones. That was rational enough, so they decided to investigate the place. The huts had plenty of stuff in them – almost 1,500 copper coins, 39 silver ones, plus another 12 silver and 300 copper on the thugs. Buwaro ended up scavenging a nice-looking backpack with straps in the front that he could wear, so that they could carry the coins, as well as grabbing a short sword.

During their raid of the place, they found a secret compartment in one hut, and inside was a small cloth bag with worked gemstones – a series of five orange-red translucent beads, an olive-green sphere the size of Rhea's palm, and a golden-brown jewel about a single knuckle in length in a diamond shape with rounded points. Rhea called it a "topaz" in a "rhombus cut."

Then, Kieri found several scavenged outfits, as well as a letter in the bottom, detailing a "dead drop" for a contact in Riverside City. Apparently, if they left up a particular article of clothing on a nearby clothesline at night on Wednesdays, they could leave a note for someone to take. Buwaro was fascinated by the idea, and found the article in question – a hood meant for going under a cape, called a "cowl."

They stuffed the note and the cowl into the pack as well and returned to their shelter to camp for a night, taking a woodcutting axe with them for their fire and a few large chunks of wood. Once situated, they began preparing their shelter for the next ten hours of daylight. During this time, Buwaro trained a little with Kieri, trying to learn how to use the sword he'd picked up.

He'd picked up the basics by the time it was time to bed down, thanks to some conditioning, food, and training. He went to bed with a smile, cuddling up to Kieri, to her slight blush, but she eventually returned the embrace. He was starting to feel much better about himself...even without the arm, or his sister.

His mood dampened a bit at the memory of his sister's loss. Closing his eyes, he tried to let go of the thoughts for now, but they didn't want to leave. After a while, he sniffled. "Buwaro?" Kieri asked.

"Just...just remembered Sakido," he mumbled. "Losing her hurt, and...and it's hurting again to think about her."

"I...see," she replied quietly. "I do not think the hurt will ever fully go away," she noted quietly. "That is the sort of 'wound' that does not leave easily."

"...oh," he mumbled. "...sorry."

"It is alright," she smiled sadly. "I am just glad you are okay."

He nodded. "...you mean the bandits," he mumbled in realization. "I mean...they were bad people. And it's not like they're...gone gone. They won't hurt anyone else."

"...true," Kieri agreed. "It still...I am having trouble with it. A life is not to be taken lightly."

"True," Buwaro agreed. "They might've tried to take ours...they probably killed a few people in their time."

"...true," she nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem."

@=@=@

The next day, after Buwaro healed up his allies' remaining injuries, the five were on the road once more, and early that night, they made their way into Riverside City. Buwaro was somewhat nervous about the large settlement due to the way Rhea had been talking about how people feared Demons, but surprisingly, he only got concerned looks – a lot of them, to be fair, but just that.

The lady at the inn's desk, however, was decidedly more worried. She pulled some strange object from her pocket when he came in. "B-back, Hellspawn," she squeaked, as if the object was meant to push him away.

He blinked a few times. "Uh...Rhea?" he asked.

"It's a symbol of Gaia," she sighed, pinching her sinuses. "Lady, it doesn't work like that."

"Uh," she mumbled, looking quite terrified.

Buwaro cringed a little. "It is alright," Kieri said, coming to the boy's defense, "he isn't going to hurt you."

"Then what's with the bloody backpack?" the woman asked, pointing at the small stain on the pack's corner.

"Oh," Buwaro said, glancing at it. "Uh, we kinda raided a bandit camp yesterday between here and Farun. The pack's full'a their stuff, and since I can't hold a normal pack...yeah," he shrugged meaningfully.

She blinked. "Did you now," she frowned.

"Yes," Kieri nodded. "Buwaro helped mostly with ranged support. He also saved my life at one point during an attack by two other Demons on a Jakkai village."

"And lost his arm in the process," Rhea added pointedly.

"...curious," she muttered, before turning to Buwaro. "Why?"

Buwaro blinked at the question. "...it just...they were gonna kill the Jakkai," he said lamely, "and we had to get Snowy's stuff back from them, and...and I didn't know that blast thing would happen anyway, to be honest," he mumbled.

"...okay then," the woman frowned, but nodded and gave them their key. "Just, be careful, alright?" she told the three Angels, apparently not realizing what they were.

"W...we will," Kieri decided to say, and the crew headed up to their room.

It was a large room, fit for all of them. Buwaro was the first to crash, still being weakened by the loss of his arm to be walking all day with a heavy backpack, and soon, Rhea joined him.

@=@=@

The next morning, Rhea came in early with breakfast, as well as the converted copper coins. Buwaro noticed that there were far fewer silver coins, which could only mean that the silver ones were more valuable than the copper ones. He spoke to Rhea for a while, and determined that 100 coppers made a silver, and 100 silvers made a gold. Two silver bought them five meals and the night at the inn in the nice room. He began learning the basics of the money system with the Jakkai, ready to help out in more than just battle.

He also spent time learning to read with Kieri that afternoon. The Angel girl was quite pleased to see Buwaro asking for her help, for some reason, but he brushed that thought aside for the time being. Letters ended up being harder than Buwaro had anticipated, though, and so they ended up spending some time getting air.

As they did, they saw a young woman grieving at a bench on a bridge. Buwaro, a strange worry filling him, went to sit by the woman gently. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"My son," she mumbled. "He fell in the river yesterday an' now he's sick an' he might die. He's just a boy!" she began to wail.

Buwaro swallowed. He looked at Kieri, who came over and kindly laid her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Perhaps we can help," she said quietly, and the woman looked up at the Angel's face. A hope came into her eyes. "Can you show us where he is staying?"

"An Angel...yes, of c-course," she nodded, before noticing Buwaro. "But if – I mean," she began. "Is there something...n-never mind, I'll lead you there," she said, frantically leading them to the hospital.

Once there, Kieri noticed the pale boy's lack of shivering and cold body. "He has serious hypothermia," she noted. "Buwaro? Your help will be appreciated."

"O-of course," he nodded, and the two got to work. Buwaro laid his hand on the boy, and Kieri did the same on his other side. Together they channeled their healing energy into him, Buwaro using his Vril and Kieri her Light. The color slowly returned to the child's cheeks, and the shivering started again. "Phew," Buwaro sighed.

In short order, the doctor came by and double-checked the boy's vitals. "He's in much better condition now," she stated. "90 degrees, rather than almost 80. He'll need lots of nutrients and warm water when he wakes up. Thank you," she smiled at the two, who bowed in the Angelic style, much to Kieri's surprise and delight.

The two returned to the inn that evening and told their friends about the work they did, and the reward of 15 silver they got for it. Buwaro was quite humbled by the reward, even if it wasn't much according to Rhea.

@=@=@

Over the next few days, waiting for the "dead drop time," Buwaro, Kieri, and Rhea did more work around town, using the Trouble Help Center to get jobs and get paid. 15 silver of additional income, not counting expenses, over those three days was fairly impressive work.

Then came Wednesday night. Rhea perched atop the building where the dead drop was located, and her allies were nearby watching from their own hiding spots – the Angels up high, Buwaro in an alley, posing as a homeless person. Eventually, a Jakkai came by, grabbed the message hidden inside the cowl on the line, and left. Rhea followed him quietly from above, until he jerked at the sound of a thump on the roof. He then made to slip into the alleys and evade her.

Buwaro frowned. So much for their operation. He quickly made his way around to where they'd last seen him and sniffed around. After a bit, he got a scent, and followed the trail after the person they were seeking. Unfortunately, the boy got a little lost at one point, before finding the trail again proper and following it to a large shop. He kept back for a time while the shopkeep slipped inside, glancing at the "homeless man" in the shadows and scowling before drawing the curtains.

The five met up at the inn that evening and talked about their discovery. Kieri was sure that something nefarious was going on in that man's shop, and Rhea agreed. Buwaro wasn't sure what to do about it, until he remembered that he could grab stuff from a distance. "I have an idea," he said.

"Oh?" Rhea asked.

"Open the window shades, find his key, slip it under the door, get in, find out what's going on," he said. He then gestured, grasping a nearby mug and hefting it with his Vril spell.

"Right!" Rhea grinned. "I'd forgotten. Okay, Kieri, run that by the guys." She nodded and did, and they were soon on the move again.

By now, the moons were high in the sky, and Buwaro quietly shifted open a few curtains with his magic grasp. Once he found the key, near the door frame, he lifted it off of the key hook and slipped it under the door for their intrusion. Rhea nodded and slipped in, Buwaro not far behind. The two spent some time inspecting the place, before Rhea found the trap door under the front rug.

Below was a large basement full of glass jars. Inside each jar was a tiny person with little wings. "Whoa, wait, Fairies are _real?_ " Rhea gasped.

"...we gotta get them out, don't we?" Buwaro frowned, looking around. He began opening jars with one hand and his jaws, and Rhea helped. Soon, they were able to convince the few Fairies that understood Lingo to help out as best they could. In short order, they had everyone out of their jars. They then slipped up into the front shop and, with a little effort, managed to slip everyone out, while keeping a few Fairies with them for the report with the guards. To say they were shocked at this development was an understatement. They eventually mobilized and arrested the Jakkai shopkeep on grounds of selling persons.

Buwaro had to admit, the look of shock, anger, and despair on the Jakkai's face was a surprisingly pleasant experience.


	5. Chapter 5

**Viridian Soul**

**Chapter 5**

It was mid-morning when Buwaro was awoken by a knock at the door. He grunted and jerked awake, Kieri already walking to the door – apparently everyone else was quite awake by now. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Are you the ones who rescued Eve?" a girl's voice asked. "And the other Fairies last night?"

"Y-yes," Kieri replied. "Is there something you need?"

"Just, wanted to thank you, for her sister," the girl said as Buwaro sat up to see the Human at the door. "Though, I did want to ask, is it true that you have a De – oh," she said, surprised as _she_ saw _him._ "I guess so..."

"Hey," Buwaro groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He slowly stood up, and Kieri gave a gasp, as did the girl. "What?" he asked.

"Buwaro, your pants," Rhea snerked, and he looked down at –

Oh. He pulled his pants up to hide the white hair poking out of the lip, turning his face away to hide his embarrassment. "Sorry," he mumbled, "didn't realize it'd..."

"Oh, I didn't notice that," the girl said. "I was...your arm..."

"Oh, yeah," the boy mumbled, wincing. "Lost it in a fight. Earth Demon chopped it off with an axe."

"Oof," she winced. "Yeah...um, just...thanks," she mumbled, leaving rather sheepishly.

"Well, I need to get up anyway," Buwaro yawned, stretching and standing. "Sorry, I'm not used to late nights."

"It's fine," Rhea smirked. "Now come on, we're about to get on the road."

"Oh, already?" Buwaro asked, surprised. "Alright, I'll splash some water on my face and we'll get going."

"You do that," Rhea smiled. "Oh, and I'm getting us a tent for the road too. Large one so we can all sleep in one."

"Alright," Buwaro replied, heading to the bathroom to wake up a bit.

In time, they were on the road, not far ahead of a wagon that soon caught up to them. The middle-aged man driving the horses glared at Buwaro, but the young Demon kept his gaze forward for the most part. As they passed the five, Buwaro saw the girl from their room step out and wave. "Uncle Heathcliff, those're the ones Eve told me about!"

"Are they?" the older Human asked, stopping the wagon. "Interesting. Why would a Demon help a bunch of Medians? Or for that matter, travel with three Angels?" he asked.

"Well, these two are making sure I'm not as bad as they thought when they saw me," Buwaro said, pointing to Zahariah and Kazai, "and I helped Sno – Kieri here out of a tough spot."

"He lost his arm trying to save my life," Kieri explained softly.

"...damn," the man mumbled, surprised. "Uh...I'd never expect something like that...and it seems like he can use Vril."

The three Lingo-speakers started. "How d'you know?" Rhea asked suspiciously. The man shrugged and conjured a small ball of the green lightning in his hands, and the Jakkai girl gawked. "Oh wow, lucky."

"Kinda," Heathcliff shrugged, "I've studied it. It's only recently proven possible to learn to use without a natural talent."

"Huh. Is it hard?" Rhea asked.

"Yeah, but strangely it isn't 'harder' or easier to learn as a Human, Jakkai, or whatever, so it's not bound by those limits of Elementalism either," he explained.

Rhea whistled. "Awesome."

"Hm. Anyway, you wanna come with us?" Heathcliff asked. "We're making a stop in Weyville before we hit St. Curtis, but I'll gladly have you along."

Kieri raised the idea to the two Angel boys, who shrugged and debated. "What'cha think, Bu?" Rhea asked.

"I mean, we'd probably be best paying them for the help, right?" Buwaro asked. "Or, are we counting as guards?" he asked the man.

"We'll count your guard-work as your room and board, sure," the man shrugged. "Anything else, you'll have to pay for."

"Thank you," Buwaro said, bowing.

A moment later, the two Angel boys agreed, and Kieri said, "If you won't mind having us, then yes."

"Welcome aboard," the man smiled.

@=@=@

The five met the Sinclair family, currently three with a fourth on the way, if you didn't count Heathcliff's Fairy friend Duster. Buwaro was quite polite and pleasant, clearly surprising Heathcliff with his manners. The boy wondered if the aging Vril-mage had some past trouble with Demons, but didn't press the issue. He was sure it would just make things worse, at least currently.

Over the next few hours, Rhea ran a thought past Kieri and showed her an old book – one that Buwaro recognized. She agreed to translate it, and explained it was the diary of an Angel named Darius Elexion. Buwaro, curious, asked Kieri for help reading Angelic in the future, once he had Lingo down. Rhea agreed to help the boy with Lingo in the meantime.

By the fifth day of their journey, Buwaro was reading some of Sammy's books from when she was about five, and doing decently well at them. In fact, he had a decent memory for the words, and started trying the bigger books. His studies of the written word took him to ten-year books by the time they were on the hill over Weyville, on the twelfth night of their journey.

It was that night that Kieri asked to talk to Buwaro alone. The young man, seeing her nervous expression, nodded quietly and followed. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"...your Star Pendant," she mumbled. "It..."

Buwaro swallowed, already aware of how delicate the situation was. "Yeah," he mumbled, shifting nervously. "It...it's there for a reason..."

"I can't believe this," she mumbled, turning away. "Gaia I can't...I can't handle this."

"...I'm sorry," he murmured. "I...I don't talk about it for a reason. It's...scary for me too."

Silence. "I see," she murmured quietly. "...Buwaro? If...if we get you a...a prosthetic limb," she said, "they'll have to, er, put you to sleep to do the operation."

"Okay," he said, confused.

"Do you think we can...get them to implant it in you, somehow?" she asked, turning back with a hopeful look. "In the socket for the arm, where it will be safe?"

"That's a great idea," he said, surprised. "I didn't think they'd have to...but I guess that makes sense, huh?" he noted thoughtfully. "Well, uh, yeah, we can do that!" he beamed.

"Wonderful," she smiled, relieved. "I...I was just so scared for a moment," she mumbled, her expression turning dour.

Buwaro, seeing her tear up, quickly came up to embrace her. "I'm sorry," he murmured into her ear. "I didn't wanna scare you. I figured you would be and...and I nearly screwed up because of it."

"I...was so scared," she whimpered, crying into his shoulder softly.

"S-Snowy, it's okay," he said, patting her back. "I wouldn't – I wouldn't do that."

"I know, but I was terrified for no reason," she blubbered.

"It's – it's okay!" he tried to impress on her. "I wouldn't let that get in the way. You're a very good friend...I l-like you, Snowy, in...in that way." She jerked, surprised, looking up at him in a pleased shock. "I know you're scared, and I know why. Rhea said something the other morning that you told her you'd had nightmares about Demons and that you'd heard scary stories and how Lazuli and Talus were your nightmares come real and...and I understand," he smiled sadly. "I'm not mad at you, I couldn't be."

"...I...you l-love me?" she asked quietly.

"...yeah," he nodded, smiling.

"I'm glad," she murmured, burying her face in his chest. "I...I love you too..."

"R-really?" he smiled, elated. He'd never felt so happy.

"I'm just...worried," she admitted. "Worried about this War, and everything else going on."

"...I understand," he nodded. "All the more reason to find people who care about you, and who have your back, right?" he asked.

"...yes," she agreed quietly.

"Good. Now let's get inside, my hairballs are numb."

"Your – " she began, then gave a half-suppressed laugh between her lips. "You're _terrible._ "

"That's what Rhea called 'em," Buwaro chuckled. "She uh...explained what they were, too. I mean I kinda knew the basics, but I didn't...y'know."

"...oh," she mumbled, blushing. "W-well. Now you know."

"Yeah...anyway, fire?" he asked.

"Fire," she agreed, and they made their way to the campsite. Thankfully, no one pressed the issue.

@=@=@

The next morning, Heathcliff quietly insisted that Buwaro stay in the wagon, to the boy's confusion. He was about to press the issue when Heathcliff stated, "There's a Seraph in town, a very skilled Warrior Angel that's been here for about fifteen years. He lost his family in the War, and I don't think you'll want to tangle with him."

"Oh," Buwaro said, wincing and nodding. "Alright. You going into town, Snowy?" he asked.

"Yes, but I'll be back soon," she nodded. "I'm probably just going to look around for a while."

"Alright," Buwaro said, "good luck with that."

In the meantime, Buwaro conversed with Zahariah as best he could, trying to learn Angelic to a conversational level. It was a surprisingly difficult language, but Buwaro began to understand the basics of it in a short time. Eventually, though, Kazai butted in gently and began learning Lingo words from Zahariah as well. As far as Buwaro could tell, he was getting tired of being out of the loop.

Buwaro understood that feeling.

Listening closely, he began to understand more Angelic, and began clumsily adding to what he was hearing. For example, when Kazai said "agg," Buwaro gently corrected, "egg." He then asked, {Egg, yes?}

{That's right,} Kazai nodded, surprised. Buwaro beamed, tail wagging.

After a few hours, Rhea even joined in, and the four were clumsily learning to speak to each other by the end of the day. Eventually, though, Heathcliff and Kieri returned, as did Sammy and Miranda. "Welcome back," Rhea said with a wave.

"Good to be back," Miranda replied, limping a little from her journey up the hill. She was carrying extra weight, after all. "I'm gonna need a good foot-soak after this," she mumbled.

It was as Miranda was warming the water for her foot bath that Buwaro got an eerie sensation in his mind – like he was being watched. He looked to Heathcliff, who nodded. "I'll go talk to him," he sighed, closing his book and stepping outside.

"What is your family doing, Heathcliff?" Buwaro heard, and Kieri looked up out the window and winced. "Why are you harboring that monster?!"

"Considering he's done jack-all but be polite and pleasant so far, and considering he's a kid, I'd say 'because he's not a monster,'" Heathcliff replied calmly.

They were silent. Then, a terrible blast of lightning sent Heathcliff flying past the door. "I will not allow anyone else to be tainted by that monster!" the Seraph roared.

"Aw man," Buwaro muttered, hurrying outside to see the Angel – who drew a bow, nocked with an arrow.

An arrow like the one that had killed Sakido.


	6. Chapter 6

**Viridian Soul**

**Chapter 6**

"You!" Buwaro roared, and as the arrow flew, his Vril bolt shot out, sundering the arrow shaft. Everyone jerked at that. "You took my sister from me," he growled, "didn't you?! You're the one who shot her?!"

"Wha – sister?" the Angel muttered, confused. "You're a Demon, you don't _have_ families," he snarled. "If you did, you wouldn't slaughter _ours!_ "

Buwaro snapped. His next blast went wide as the man dodged, nocking another arrow. Kieri got in the way and parried his shot, before putting a hand on Buwaro's chest. "Stop, both of you!" she roared.

"What in Gaia's name are you doing, girl?!" the Wind Angel roared.

"I. Said. _Stop!_ " Kieri roared, stunning everyone. She began yelling angrily at the Wind Angel in Angelic. Buwaro caught a few words: {Saved – life – lost – Vril – helped – kind – loving – sweetheart – polite,} among others. He subconsciously reached for his lost shoulder, tears threatening in his eyes.

Kieri finally ran out of things to say, and shook her head in disgust. The man scowled and nocked his bow again, speaking in Angelic. Buwaro stepped around her and prepared his blast, aiming it at the bow. It shot past, and his shot fired. Only by throwing himself down did Buwaro avoid the attack. He rolled upright with a struggle and sent another blast before Kieri stepped in the way.

And _she_ took the hit. "Snowy!" he gasped, crouching over her. "Snowy I'm sorry I didn't – I – oh no I didn't mean't' – " he stammered before starting to heal her.

The arrow shot forward. Buwaro didn't have time to dodge. He winced, cringed –

And it shattered on an aura of viridian around his body. Some kind of armor made of his Vril had manifested, to the boy's shock. He winced and swallowed, then took up a defensive position before Kieri's body. "Someone help," he mumbled.

"I'm okay, Buwaro," she murmured, dazed but alive. "You just...startled me, that's all."

"Oh," he murmured, surprised. "I...I thought – "

"I'm okay," she chuckled, "you must've held back a bit."

"Okay, good," he murmured, hugging her closely. "I'm sorry."

The next arrow also shattered against his magical armor. "Hey!" Buwaro snarled angrily, "no more of that! I've had enough, so get outta here, you psycho!"

"I cannot do that, monster," the Seraph snarled, charging up a terrible bolt of lightning. Buwaro stood up and put his arms up in defense. "Die!" The bolt surged and struck the magical aura...

And broke through, to Buwaro's shock.

It hurt something fierce, too. He was still standing afterward, sure, but it had _hurt._ "D-dammit, die already!" the man roared...

Before a _much_ more powerful blast of Vril surged out and slammed into the Seraph. "I'm pretty sure," Heathcliff snarled, "that I just told you to stop and _think,_ Denevol."

The Angel stumbled under the assault, stunned, before snarling, "Dammit Heathcliff, I am trying to save your family!"

"You're the only one attacking anyone!" Heathcliff roared.

"What about that Demon and _his_ Vril blasts!"

"One broke your arrow!" Sammy protested.

"I was aiming for your stupid bow with the other," Buwaro snapped.

Silence reigned for a time. "I...how can you believe this monster's lies?!" the Angel shouted, dismayed.

"Maybe the real monster is the one beating up on the crippled non-fighter!" Buwaro roared, viridian lightning arcing around his body in a terrible aura of wrath. The aura of defensive power dispersed and formed into Buwaro's palm in a sizzling ball of pure wrath. "Get out of here, right now, or I will _make_ you," he snarled in rage. "And take your evil sticks with you, you little psycho. I've lost enough family to them already."

The Angel warrior bristled. "You do not _have_ families, you – "

"Shut your _stupid face!_ " Buwaro roared, the blast surging forward and slamming into his bow – it shattered and snapped its string, startling the man. "You know _nothing_ about me, about _us,_ if you're saying that. Maybe, _just maybe,_ the reason _we_ kill _your_ families is because _you_ kill _ours,_ and we're _looking for revenge_ over it! You know, _like you are right now!_ " he sneered.

The Denevol warrior roared and flew at Buwaro, another bolt of lightning charging in his hands. "Do not _dare_ compare my family to you _beasts!_ " he snarled, the shot surging forward.

Buwaro then felt an impact – he was pushed out of the way, and Kieri was in his place. He fumbled, grabbed for her, tried to pull her away, but she was already being blasted when he reached, her body spasming in the electrical shock.

She fell.

Buwaro's eyes widened. He scrambled to his feet as the warrior landed, preparing another bolt to attack Buwaro. The young Demon lunged forward and swiped with his sword, surprising the Angel but getting him to back off and avoid being hit. The bolt stabilized, weaker than before, and Buwaro felt the blast graze past his arm, tingling it fiercely. He growled, teeth grit, as Heathcliff grabbed the Angel and delivered the fiercest stomach blow Buwaro had ever seen in his life.

Denevol fell too, groaning weakly.

Buwaro looked at Kieri, then at Heathcliff, then knelt and tried to call on his power again. To his surprise, the power flowed, though it took some strength from him too, and he fell over, weary from his injuries and his overuse of power. "Aw shit," Heathcliff grumbled as he passed out.

@=@=@

Buwaro jerked upright. It was morning again, and everyone looked to be okay. He sighed and lied down again. Kieri was nearby, curled up in bunny form, and looking miserable. He gently laid his hand on her and healed her injuries, his own Vril fueling her body's energy and sealing up the wounds. "Thank you," she mumbled sadly.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I couldn't hit him or his bow or nothin'. He kept...he kept comin' at us."

"I know," she murmured. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he shrugged. "It's okay. I don't blame you at all."

"And I don't blame you," she huffed quietly, smiling up at him.

"Okay," he smiled. "Well...I'm still sorry you got hurt."

"...I know. I forgive you."

"You see, Denevol?" the pair heard outside, and they jerked. "He's done nothing but be a sweetheart since he got here. She wasn't bullshitting you."

"But that is _impossible,_ " the old Angel replied hoarsely. He spoke in Angelic, and Zahariah responded first, then Kazai. A stunned silence fell.

Buwaro stood upright, storming over to the door and opening it, glaring at the man. "What is he doing here?" he growled at Heathcliff, not taking his eyes off of the man.

"Buwaro," Heathcliff warned.

"He tried to kill _me,_ he was gonna shoot _Snowy,_ he hurt _you,_ " he snarled at the Human. "I don't like hurting people unless they hurt others first, and he took my very _existence_ as wrong. And his stupid evil sticks killed my sister, even if _he_ didn't."

"They're not _evil,_ boy," the man snapped.

"They killed my _gods-damned sister,_ " Buwaro roared, "and you say they're _not evil?!_ " He quieted his voice with some effort, before lowly stating, "Then maybe your sense of morality is _garbage._ Because in case you missed it, I stated that yes, you losing _your_ family was a bad thing, and only 'justified,'" he added sarcastically with his one hand air-quoting,"if the killers lost _their_ family in the same way. Maybe, just _maybe,_ this whole _war_ thing is rotten, and _you're_ rotten for pushing it further," the boy hissed, then, with all of his bristling fury, _spat_ on the man's face and stormed inside the wagon again.

He made sure to only close the door, rather than slamming it, but it was a near thing. "Well, that's enough drama for a week," Miranda quipped. "Now then, Denevol, you have something to say to Buwaro, don't you?"

"I'm not accepting his apology," Buwaro snapped through the door. "He can if he wants, but I don't accept."

Silence fell. Heathcliff came to the door with a grim look. "Buwaro, be the bigger man here."

"Maybe you should ask him to be, since it's not like I can. After all, I'm a monster," Buwaro sneered.

"Oof," Rhea muttered. "Buwaro, come on," she frowned, looking in as well.

Kieri put a hand on Buwaro's shoulder. "Buwaro," she murmured quietly.

He looked into her miserable expression, and his heart melted. He winced. "Only for your sake," he mumbled. "F...fine. For Snowy's sake, I'll...I'll accept it. And I'm sorry too. I just...it really hurt, losing her. I'd never lost anyone before, not like that. I'd never realized that Demons didn't come back...and that Angels didn't either...heck, at the time I didn't know what an Angel _was._ I was an idiot," he chuckled through the threatening tears, his voice choking.

"...how?" Denevol asked quietly.

"I grew up with no one around," he sniffled. "I had my sister off in the mountains and my brother off in 'real Hell' and Death sometimes stopped by, but no one else until Rhea showed up."

"I figured," Heathcliff snorted. "Well, I'll overlook it if you got to be put with such a bleeding heart."

"Wait my _what's_ bleeding?!" Buwaro squeaked, horrified.

"Not literally, boy," Heathcliff sighed, chuckling.

"...oh," the boy laughed weakly, collapsing back on the blanket. "Ugh. I'm so done with this crap."

"Y-you and me both," Kieri chuckled weakly, curling up with Buwaro.

@=@=@

Surprisingly, the rest of their stay was uneventful. The Sinclair wagon left Weyville the next day, and although Buwaro still wasn't _fond_ of Denevol, he was willing to let their fight be a one-time thing if the man agreed. Thankfully, he did. Buwaro also told him, as a side thought, about the cuffs Kieri had gotten from the Demons, and what they did. He was sobered by that news, that the Great War was back on, but thanked them for the information, hoping it would help him escape the Demon army's plans – whatever they were.

Buwaro, to his surprise, silently agreed.

As they left, Kieri asked, "Buwaro? You said...that Sakido died to a Holy Arrow, right? As you escaped Hell?"

"Right," he nodded.

"Well...there's been a barrier up for a long time now, by Death's will, to try and stop the war," she explained. "I just...none of this makes sense."

"No kidding," he mumbled. "How would they even get an Angel to work for them?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I suppose we'll find out soon, though, won't we?"

"...yeah," he whispered, hugging her tightly. He could already tell that this would be a _miserable_ time for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: There are additional acts coming up. Just so we're clear.


End file.
